+ a flash +

they are falling in love

they are working

they are raising the children

from south carolina

to china

the sun looks the same

the moon looks the same

from hong kong to warsaw

they worship the same gods

under different names

drink the same wine

the stars appear

no different

only the moment makes

history

the diverse feelings arise and fall

beneath the diverse flags

we come and go like

the wind

(minute) outlier

imagine

everything which ever
came to be once was
nothing but a thought

a feeling
set off from the
mainstream
even

our little universe

this minute outlier speck
someday may be the very dead
heat center of it
all

cannot help it

i write these words
i cannot help it
i gotta tune my voice


to silence


thrown off a little
by the world every
day

katya 2020

csus

california state university. sacramento. i got lost on the campus again, after dark. i asked for directions no less than three times. eureka hall. the moment i found it i felt that way. the kids were packed in the classroom and florence gave me a big smile and i took my place on the panel in front. the three stories came before mine were nothing short of inspirational. i hoped my truth could keep the spirit alive. about halfway through my story i found the pulse and saw the smiles begin to light up. these are difficult memories to draw up from the past. i told them how i owed forgiveness. around 2001 my dear cat Raccoon turned on me and slashed me in the face with his claws. that's when i knew what an asshole i was, deep in the heart of my addiction.

social work

i saw you and spoke to you and you gave me a lukewarm response. you were with a friend and preoccupied. i was on another mission. i hope you know i care about you. i was trying to say so with my eyes. you have been through some fire. being a social worker is a lucky way to live. they find you or you locate them, in their darkness, and you have a chance to make a meaningful difference. then you detach and they become just another star in the firmament, and all you gotta do is look around to see the ones who made it, and they light up your life.

the focus + shifts

How the narrative has changed in the States. just one month ago all the rich were becoming increasingly paranoid about the aging senator from vermont. what a surprise. they hadn't expected anything threatening to ever come out of a part of the country known for covered bridges and maple syrup, ben and jerry's ice cream, the latest practices for organic farming, jam and jam bands... democratic socialism? he was halfway toward securing the nomination. what if he made it to the big stage and found a way to beat the king? to the dsa (democratic socialists of america) their concerns were elemental and elitist and typically egocentric; being separated from one's money. the whole point was not to make the rich miserable, but rather to forge a path towards social justice, fair labor practices, healthcare for all, and other socioeconomic equalities. it was a divisive yet electric moment in the political arena. now covid19 has arrived and the world has turned completely upside down.

the consciousness

i saw you less and less then

there was the accident

i hoped for you to heal

i prayed for you

 

what happened to the kid

to turn the thoughts against

them? how sometimes we 

cannot want the best

for anyone? 

 

may we become

the consciousness of caring ina

time of urgent need!

 

if i falter the old ways

resurface like the deepest

hurt striking out

 

the consciousness turns

 

drawn up off the 

bottom of the 

sea